AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Don’t fucking touch her.”
“Hey!” It’s all the little drunk bastard manages before I pick him up by his armpits from behind. It isn’t hard. He probably doesn’t weigh a hundred and fifty pounds if you tied sandbags to him.
Instead of hitting him or arguing, I simply march him across the room to one of the exits. A bouncer stands nearby, and he bursts out laughing at the sight. Maybe because this guy is demanding that I put him down, and spewing a volley of threats that are laughable considering his predicament.
“He keeps harassing my girl. Do you want to throw him out or do I need to beat his ass?” I ask.
The bouncer snickers and opens the door, giving me an after you gesture. Cool air full of sprinkles smacks me in the face. It’s been raining and everything is soaked.
Now, smaller guys can be good fighters too, and I’m cautious when I put him down and step back on the slick pavement. He doesn’t swing on me, just keeps threatening and yelling. It’s about as intimidating as a pissed off chihuahua.
The bouncer warns him to get going if he doesn’t want to go to jail, and he starts off down the road on foot, still cursing. “Sorry about the trouble.”
The bouncer accepts the tip I hand him. “Wasn’t you. He’s been a problem before.”
All eyes are on me when I go back inside, not only from my group but from half the bar who noticed me toting this dude across the floor. I’m met with smiles and a few nods.
Everyone is sitting around our table when I get back. “That was the funniest shit ever,” Row says. “Did you see how he kept kicking his feet like he was trying to walk on air?”
I sit next to Maren. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. He was trying to get me to give him a ride home.”
“Maybe because he was drunk?” Cara suggests.
“No, to my home,” Maren adds.
“I knew I should’ve beat his ass,” I grumble, and she looks over at me with an expression I can’t quite read.
“Why are the men with the least to offer always the most persistent?” Lila remarks.
Louise sips her drink. “The real question is why do you young women give these losers any attention?”
Lila, Maren, Holly, and Cara all exchange a look before Holly says, “Because the nice respectful guys with a 401k and a mortgage don’t fuck like the guy you have to bail out of jail that also steals money off your dresser.”
“I see how you two became friends,” Louise tells Holly as laughter fills the space.
“If these are the kind of guys you choose, I see why you’re not in a hurry to date again,” I tell Maren. Have you ever known that you screwed up the second the words came out of your mouth? Yep. This is my moment.
Her forehead crumples as she turns to look at me. “You don’t get to judge me.” She gets up and curses under her breath. “I need some air. I’ll be back.”
Cara starts to get up. “I’ll go with her.”
“No, I got her,” I insist, grabbing Maren’s jacket off the back of her chair.
It’s still sprinkling outside when I follow her over to the strip of grassy median that separates the bar parking lot from an adjacent one. It holds a line of trees, and she stands under one, leaning against it.
Faint laughter and voices come from another small group standing outside the bar to smoke in the misty air.
She glares at me when I hold out her jacket to her. “I don’t need you to follow me or take care of me or throw out men on my behalf. And I damn sure don’t need your opinion about my love life. It’s none of your business.”
“If some asshole is bothering you, it is absolutely my business. And I wasn’t judging you, I was judging him.” I hold up the coat again. “It’s cold out here. Quit being stubborn.”
After a moment, she slips her jacket on. “You’re acting like a boyfriend. I told you from the beginning, this was just going to be sexual.”
“I know what you said. I also know something else that you think I don’t.”
She crosses her arms, raising her eyebrows. “Oh, enlighten me, I can’t wait to hear.”
